A new identity

Erik's eyes darted around the crowded shopping center, searching for a path through the maze of stalls and shops.

He approached a random person walking by and asked where to make his ID again since he had lost his.

The individual indicated with his hand towards a structure that bore the neon sign "Administration Office" above the entrance to a building.

The office was a glass building with a slick contemporary design that starkly contrasted the other shops and places inside this weird gate-shopping mall. The neon lights framed the entrance cast a warm and inviting light on those waiting outside. People gathered together to form a line extending from the entrance and wound its way through the surrounding stores. Despite the apparent chaos, there was an unspoken order to it all.

Some people were engaged in animated conversation with their companions, their voices mingling with the crowd's buzz.